Texas running back Jonathon Brooks missed practice Friday with illness

Texas Longhorns’ running back Jonathon Brooks missed practice on Friday due to an undisclosed illness, according to a team spokesperson. Joe Cook of InsideTexas.com relayed the news via his Twitter account. Brooks is expected to compete in the Longhorns’ backfield this fall.

Brooks was rated as a four-star prospect in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. As a redshirt freshman last year, he had 30 carries for 197 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. On November 19th against Kansas, he had 11 carries for 108 total yards and two touchdowns.

For more about a look on the Texas backfield this fall, check out the article below from On3’s Griffin McVeigh.

Brooks is just a small part of a crowded backfield for the ‘Horns

There are five names Texas has at its disposal this season. Jonathon Brooks and Keilan Robinson are the most experienced of the bunch, taking most of the snaps during the Alamo Bowl. Jaydon Blue is entering his second season on campus, while former five-star prospect CJ Baxter is a newcomer.

And then there is Savion Red, who played wide receiver last year. Red could be viewed as a do-it-all type of back and bring versatility to be position.

Last season, Robinson was the guy for Texas. On3’s J.D. PicKell does not believe there will be one singular guy Sarkisian calls upon. Different situations will dictate who is sent onto the field.

“I don’t know if you are going to have a guy be far and away the bell cow like Bijan was or like Roschon Johnson was,” PicKell said. “I do think Keilan Robinson will carry a lot of the load and I think CJ Baxter, short yardage, will be a guy as well.

“The good news is, it’s going to be by committee. You’re going to have fresh legs, you’re going to have a lot of backs that can do a lot of different things.”

Fans in Austin are used to seeing Robinson put up absurd stats on the board. Even if one guy emerges as the main back, PicKell does not expect to see a 1,000-yard rusher for Texas. And that’s okay.

They’re going to have a lot of options,” PicKell said. “Options are a good thing. Just because you won’t see one guy with 1,000 yards at the end of the year, doesn’t mean Texas didn’t run the football very effectively.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.